Chapter 311
Rachel’s POV
The sixth day of the Wheat Moon found me clinging to the jagged face of a cliff, my muscles screaming in protest.
I reached for another handhold, feeling the rough stone scrape against my fingers as I pulled myself up. The top was 30 close now, maybe twenty more feet.
“Today is the sixth,” Adam’s voice echoed in my mind. “The sixth of the Wheat Moon.”
My heart clenched. Only two days left to save Nathan. Two days before… No. I couldn’t think about that now. I blinked back tears, focusing on the climb.
Don’t look down, I reminded myself. Just keep going up.
Below me, Carter’s frustrated voice carried upward. “Why does the Moon Goddess make these damn flowers so hard to get to?”
“It’s the Dark Moon Mandala,” Gina corrected sharply. “And watch your language when speaking of sacred things. Did you lose your brain after you lost to Kael?”
“Hey, Gina, I didn’t lose to–Kael, okay?” Carter shot back defensively. “Look, at least I’m able to come on this trip. I bet Kael can’t even get out of bed right now.”
“The only reason you’re walking around is because of Rachel’s blood,” Gina scoffed.
I tuned out their bickering, concentrating on the next handhold. My arms trembled with exhaustion as I neared the top. Finally, Gina’s hand appeared over the edge, reaching down to help me up the last few feet.
“Nice job, Rachel,” she said, pulling me onto solid ground and enveloping me in a quick hug.
“Thanks,” I gasped, my lungs burning as I tried to catch my breath. My throat felt like sandpaper. God, I needed water.
Carter hauled himself over the edge moments later, continuing his argument with Gina as if there hadn’t been an interruption.
Gina asked, “Seriously, you were pretty injured too. And anyway, if you’re just going to complain, why did you even come?”
“Because that asshole is my brother too!” Carter snarled through gritted teeth.
As we began walking across the mountaintop, I reflected on our journey. The past day and a half had been brutal–trudging through putrid swamps, navigating forests with thorns so dense they seemed impassable, and finally scaling this nearly vertical cliff.
According to the map, we were close to our destination. I prayed this would be the last insane obstacle.
After learning when the Dark Moon Mandala would next bloom, I had assembled a small team–Tyler, Gina, Carter, Caelum, an warriors from both the Ironjaw and Nexus packs.
I’d refused General Caspian’s offer to bring more fighters. The journey was treacherous, and numbers wouldn’t help.
Besides, we needed forces to defend against Kael’s attacks and keep Nathan’s condition secret to avoid unnecessary attention.
nty elite
The terrain eventually opened into a clearing. Most of the ground was barren, with large patches of moonstone and twisted shrubs scattered throughout.
In the center stood a plant with a deep green stem that I immediately recognized as the Dark Moon Mandala.
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Chapter 311
I’d seen it countless times in the library books and the Dark Moon Mandala had been constantly on my mind!
Nathan can survive! My eyes welled up with tears.
We settled in to rest, checking the sky to gauge the time. Based on the moon’s position, we had about thirty minutes until midnight on the eighth day of the
Wheat Moon, when the flower would bloom. Once we had it, we’d head straight back to the castle. The return journey should be easier.
“Look!” Gina suddenly pointed toward the moon, her voice filled with awe.
One side of the moon began turning red as the earth’s shadow blocked the sunlight. The red gradually spread until the entire moon glowed blood–red.
When the transformation was complete, it was precisely midnight. I turned toward the Dark Moon Mandala and watched as it began to bloom its petals slowly unfurling.
Without hesitation, I sliced my arm with my knife and let my blood drip into the center of the flower’s petals. Then I cleanly cut the stem of the Dark Moon Mandala, which now emitted a captivating blue glow.
The flower immediately turned purple, and I knew I’d done it correctly.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Summary & Review: By Werewolf